WAR GALLEY, WAR GALLEY - GMT Games

Technological advances have quick end. However, Carthage, (Liparae) Islands. Scipio sailed to
revolutionized naval warfare time though defeated on land, was still Lipara and anchored offshore,
and again in modern history. supreme at sea. The Punic navy while negotiating the surrender.
Cannons, steam power, ironclads, kept coastal Sicily in its grasp, The Carthaginian admiral
submarines, powered flight, and even raided Italy on a regular Hannibal, son of Gisgo, was at
sonar, radar ... the list goes on. basis. Rome could never conquer Panormus when he received word
Generally, in the ancient world, Sicily under these circumstances. of Scipio's activity. He dispatched
naval technology evolved very The Roman Senate decided in 260 Boodes, a Carthaginian senator
slowly. The trireme emerged in that the time had come to build a and naval captain, with a
the sixth century BC and was not fleet. squadron of 20 quinqueremes to
supplanted by the quinquereme Polybius tells a quaint tale of this attack the rash Romans. That he
until the fourth century BC. Yet, first fleet. With no ships of her only sent 20 ships is a measure of
the Raven was a device that own, Rome used a Carthaginian the low esteem he felt for the new
overturned the naval balance of quinquereme that had washed Roman navy. Boodes sailed by
power in the Western ashore as a model. Without this night, and appeared at the mouth
Mediterranean overnight. ship, the whole program would of the harbor at dawn. The Roman
One of GMT's latest volumes in have been impossible. One squadron was trapped. The crews
the GBOH series, WAR GALLEY, hundred copies were built. While abandoned their vessels and fled
includes three First Punic War the construction was ongoing, inland, while Scipio surrendered.
battles, Ecnomus, Drepanum and new crews of rowers were trained It was an inauspicious start for
Aegates. Ecnomus was the on specially-built benches on the new Roman navy, to be sure.
greatest victory for the Raven. land. Pliny adds that the whole Scipio, by the way, was named
Before Ecnomus, the Raven was a process took just 60 days. Asina ("she-ass"), perhaps for this
little-known experiment. The first However, the German historian incident.
battles where it was employed Hans Delbruck debunked this Hannibal, even with Scipio's
were bold and risky endeavors. story as a mere legend. Rome did blunder fresh in his mind, made
This is the story of the Raven, and not need a wrecked Punic ship, his own rash move. Hannibal
its first use in combat. Here are because the quinquereme had heard the main Roman fleet was
two new WAR GALLEY scenarios been invented by her ally on the move along the Italian
which let you try it out yourself: Syracuse. Rome had plenty of coast. He decided to scout it out
Mylae (260 BC) and Tyndaris (257 experienced maritime personnel with a squadron of 50 galleys. As
BC). upon which to draw from the Hannibal rounded Cape Vaticano
Rome Builds a Navy Greek cities of the Italian coast. (on the north side of the toe of
Rome entered the First Punic War The First Moves at Sea Italy), he came face to face with
practically without a navy, only a Once the fleet was outfitted, the main Roman fleet in battle
small squadron of 20 triremes. Consul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio array. The Romans had over 100
Carthage on the other hand, had a (and you thought only the ships, including 83 quinqueremes
fleet of 200 first-line Carthaginians used the same and 20 triremes. Hannibal's fleet
quinqueremes plying the seas. At names over and over for their was shattered, with many ships
first, Rome was able to campaign generals) was placed in sunk or captured. Hannibal
successfully in Sicily without a command. Scipio sailed to escaped with only a handful of
navy. Rome won a great land Messana with an advance guard ships.
victory with four legions at of 17 ships, ordering the The Raven at Mylae
Agrigentum in 262 BC, and remainder to join him when When the Roman navy arrived at
expected to bring the war to a ready. While at Messana, Scipio Messana, the other Roman consul,
learned there was an opportunity Gaius Duilius was recalled from
to seize Lipara, in the Aeolian

command of the army in Sicily to Punic captains first spied the Paterculus arrived with another
take to the sea. The Roman Ravens, they were perplexed. Yet, Roman fleet and shattered
captains commented that their they chose to ignore the Hannibal's squadron. Hannibal
ships and crews were markedly implications of the strange was seized by his own officers
inferior to the Carthaginians. structures and pressed forward and crucified, for his repeated
However, their legionary marines with a spirited, if disjointed, failures. Carthage sent out yet
were both more numerous and far attack. When the Ravens swung another fleet, under Hanno (later
more capable. Reportedly, some into action, Carthaginian ships at Ecnomus) to chase off
unknown engineer came up with were pinned, and the marines Sulpicius. Once the Carthaginian
the idea of a movable boarding swarmed over the ramps. Again raids on Italy had ceased, Rome
ramp, and the Raven, or corvus, and again, the lightly-armed, appears to have lost interest in
was born. Polybius described the outnumbered Carthaginian Sardinia. A major Roman force
Raven in detail. First, a 24'10" marines were slaughtered. The would not return to Sardinia until
pole was erected at the bow. At Romans captured 30 galleys in the a full two decades had passed and
the top of the pole was a pulley, initial assault. Hannibal's flagship the First Punic War had ended.
and at the bottom a movable was even captured, though the The Roman consul for 257
gangway 36 feet long and four admiral made a daring escape in a charged with command of the
feet wide. The ramp had an pinnace to continue the fight. fleet was Gaius Atilius Regulus
oblong slot so that it could be raised (the man depicted in Ecnomus in
by a rope through the The Carthaginians pulled back to WAR GALLEY and in Bagradas in
pulley. A spike was fixed to the reassess the situation. When they SPQR). His first action was a
end of the gangway (having the attacked once more, it was in a chance encounter off Tyndaris
appearance of a raven's beak, very circumspect and cautious (about 15 miles west of Mylae).
hence the name "corvus"). The manner. Their ships maneuvered His fleet was anchored when the
Raven could pivot on the pole, agilely, seeking to ram the Roman Punic fleet suddenly appeared in
and then be dropped in quinqueremes broadside or view. Neither fleet expected an
whichever direction an enemy astern. They relied on their speed action at this time or place. The
approached. The spike would and circled their prey. The Ravens size of Regulus' fleet is estimated
drive into the enemy's deck and were swung to either side, and at 150 galleys. His flagship may
hold the ship fast while the continued to pin the enemy ships. have been King Pyrrhus'
marines swarmed over the Twenty more Carthaginian heptares, captured at Mylae from
gangway to board and capture galleys were captured before Hannibal. The Carthaginian
their prey. Hannibal accepted defeat and fled admiral was Hamilcar, who had
Duilius had the Ravens installed the scene. Roman losses are not won a rare victory on land over a
on all his quinqueremes. The recorded, but were apparently Roman force at Himera in 259 and
crews and marines hastily trained light. Three centuries of naval would later command at
in its use. He learned the Punic tradition had been overthrown in Ecnomus. His fleet is believed to
fleet was near Mylae, 25 miles to a day. have been about the same size as
the west. He led the new Roman the Roman one.
fleet towards its first general The Battle of Tyndaris Regulus saw that the
action. This time Hannibal had Carthaginians were in loose order,
130 galleys; probably less than a Rome took advantage of her new under sail and unprepared for
hundred were quinqueremes, the sea power to seize a number of action. Accordingly he set off with
remainder smaller galleys. His Sicilian ports that had long defied an advance guard of ten galleys to
flagship was a heptares, captured her army. The Roman navy was strike the first blow. This
earlier from King Pyrrhus also sent to Sardinia in 259 BC squadron was reportedly
himself. The Roman fleet was under Consul Lucius Cornelius composed of "fast ships" with
about 100 quinqueremes and 20 Scipio. He ravaged the coasts of crack crews, undoubtedly without
triremes, as Scipio's losses were Sardinia and Corsica until Ravens. Hamilcar quickly got part
made up with the ships captured Hannibal, son of Gisgo, arrived of his fleet in hand and converged
off Cape Vaticano. with a new fleet. In 258 BC, on the small Roman squadron
Hannibal, Boodes and their Consul Gaius Sulpicius with overwhelming numbers. The
captains were delighted that the Carthaginians were in the best
Romans had come out on the possible position-with plenty of
water. They believed an easy room to maneuver. They circled
victory was in their grasp, and the small Roman squadron. When
rowed towards the Roman fleet the opportunity to ram arose,
without bothering to deploy in Hamilcar's ships would dart in
good order. The Romans and dispatch a Roman galley. In
advanced to meet them. When the short order, nine Roman galleys

were holed and sunk, and rendered their quinqueremes top The Roman fleet is deployed as
Regulus' flagship only barely heavy and unwieldy, contributing follows:
survived through constant greatly to the losses in the storms. Right Wing: Agricola with 6
evasive maneuvering. After either the disaster of 254 or
249, the Romans discontinued quinqueremes from 4126-4127
Finally, the lead squadrons of the widespread use of this device. to 4427-4428 and 2 triremes at
main Roman fleet appeared. They Despite this short-lived utility, the 4526-4527 and 4627-4628.
formed a close formation and Raven had earned Rome her first Center: Duilius with 8
charged the Carthaginian fleet. victories at sea, as well as its own quinqueremes from 3227-3228
The Romans boarded and place in history. to 3926-3927.
captured ten ships, while sinking Left Wing: Metellus with 6
another eight. Hamilcar Leader Counters quinqueremes from 2726-2727
withdrew, and the Regulus had to 3027-3028 and 2 triremes at
won a slight tactical victory. The counters for Duilius, Hannibal and 2526-2527 and 2427-2428.
Though, both fleets were intact, Boodes for the Mylae battle will be in a Initial Deployment:
and both sides would approach future issue of C3i. Until then, use the Carthaginians
the coming battle at Ecnomus following substitutes: Manlius for The Carthaginian player receives
with high morale. Duilius, Mago for Hannibal, Barbax for the following Green ships:
Boodes. Asterisks indicate non-historical ƒ 1 Heptares (ID 1)
Ecnomus, Hermaeum and the ƒ 17 Quinqueremes (ID 11-27)
End of the Raven Map ƒ 8 Cataphracted Triremes (ID 1
In 256 BC, at the Battle of The game uses the "sea" map. 8)
Ecnomus (featured in WAR Mylae is modern Milazzo, 25 The Carthaginian receives the
GALLEY), considered by some as miles west of the northeastern tip following Squadron
the largest naval battle of all of Sicily. Carthaginian side is Commanders: Hannibal
time, the Raven played a key role hexrow xxOO (north). Roman side (Admiral), Boodes, *Hanno.
in the Roman victory. Rome captured is hexrow xx28 (south). The Carthaginian fleet is
64 galleys and sank 30, but lost only deployed in line astern as follows:
24 ships sunk. At Hermaeum in Balance Left Wing: Boodes with 4
254, Rome won an even more This is the first classic match-up quinqueremes and 4 triremes
lopsided victory, capturing 114 of Punic seamanship versus the trailing from 4509 off the map.
vessels. So why was the Raven Roman Raven and marines. The Center: Hannibal with 1 heptares
ultimately abandoned? Romans are slightly favored here. at 3509-3508 and 9
quinqueremes trailing from
The Raven fell by the wayside for Playing Time and Difficulty 3507 off the map.
two reasons. First, as Roman This battle should take about 2 Right Wing: Hanno with 4
crews became more proficient, hours to finish. The Difficulty quinqueremes and 4 triremes
they had less need for "gadgetry." Rating is 2.0. trailing from 2509 off the map.
But more importantly, Rome
found a foe far more powerful Ship Scale Special Rules
than Carthage-the sea itself. A 1 counter = 5 galleys Corvus
series of Roman fleets were Use "Grappling Effects: Corvus 11
shattered by storms, with Initial Deployment: rule from Ecnomus.
tremendous loss of ships and Romans Victory
lives. In 255 a storm destroyed The Roman player receives the Either player wins when he has at
284 galleys, and the following following Red ships: least 65 VP, and that number is at
year another 150 ships were lost ƒ 20 Quinqueremes (ID 30-49, least twice that of the enemy.
in a tempest. Two more Roman If neither of the above happens,
fleets were destroyed by a storm corvus capability) and/or the players halt play by
in 249, after being maneuvered ƒ 4 Cataphracted Triremes mutual agreement, a minor,
into a dangerous area by the indecisive victory goes to he who
Carthaginian admiral Carthalo. (ID 31-34) has the most VP.
According to Polybius, 500
Roman galleys in total were lost The Roman receives the following
to storms, along with over 200,000 Squadron Commanders: Duilius
lives. Even if these figures are (Admiral), *Agricola, *Metellus.
slightly overinflated, such
massive losses were not
sustainable. Upon analysis of
these disasters, the Romans
concluded that the Raven had

Map the heptares at 3513-3514, the Carthaginian fleet). Place the
The game uses the "sea" map. quinqueremes (1-7) from 3214 wind direction marker in hex
Tyndaris is about 15 miles west of 3215 to 3414-3415 and 3614-3615 5900, pointing at 5901. The wind
Mylae, on the northeast coast of to 3913-3914 and triremes (1-2) at is steady, players do not roll for
Sicily. Carthaginian side is 4013-4014 and 3113-3114. changes in wind speed and
hexrow xx00 (west). Roman side direction.
is hexrow xx28 (east). Reinforcements Corvus
The following galleys arrive as The "Grappling Effects: Corvus "
Balance reinforcements: rule from Ecnomus is in effect for
This is another contest up of ƒ Agricola's Squadron: 4 quinqueremes 50-65, but not for
Punic seamanship versus the quinqueremes 1-7.
Roman Raven and marines. quinqueremes and 4 triremes Victory
However, the Roman fleet enters arrive at 2227-2228 in line The Roman player wins when he
piecemeal, with a crack squadron astern. has at least 70 VP, and that
of fast ships going in first, and ƒ Drusus' Squadron: 8 number is at least twice that of
alone. The Carthaginians are quinqueremes arrive at 3627 the enemy. The Carthaginian
favored here. 3628 in line astern. player wins when he has at least
ƒ Octavian's Squadron: 4 90 VP, and that number is at least
Playing Time and Difficulty quinqueremes and 4 triremes twice that of the enemy. If neither
This battle should take about 3-4 arrive at 4827-4828 in line of the above happens, and/or the
hours to finish. The Difficulty astern. players halt play by mutual
Rating is 3.0. agreement, a minor, indecisive
The Roman player rolls a die victory goes to he who has the
Ship Scale every turn to determine arrival most VP.
1 counter = 1 galley. This scale is for each squadron. On turn 1, the
used to present the interesting squadron arrives on a roll of 1, on
battle between the advance turn 2 the squadron arrives on a
guards. The entire fleet of either roll of 1-2, and so on.
side did not come into action
before the battle was decided. Initial Deployment:
Carthaginians
Initial Deployment: The Carthaginian player receives
Romans the following Green ships:
The Roman player receives the ƒ 18 Quinqueremes (ID 11-28)
following Red ships: ƒ 8 Cataphracted Triremes (ID 18)
ƒ 1 Heptares (ID 4)
ƒ 7 Quinqueremes (ID 1-7, ignore The Carthaginian receives the
following Squadron
engines) Commanders: Hamilcar
ƒ 16 quinqueremes (ID 50-65, (Admiral), Hanno, *Gisgo.

corvus capability) The Carthaginians are deployed
ƒ 2 Cataphracted Triremes (ID 12) as follows:
ƒ 8 Cataphracted Triremes
Hamilcar's Squadron: Under
(ID 31-38) sail, 10 quinqueremes trailing
from 3601-3600.
The Roman receives the following
Squadron Commanders: Regulus Hanno's Squadron: Under sail, 8
(Admiral), *Agricola, *Drusus, quinqueremes trailing from
*Octavian. 1601-1600.

The Roman fleet is deployed as Gisgo's Squadron: Under sail, 8
follows: triremes trailing from 5401
5400.
Advance Guard: Regulus with
Special Rules

Wind
The wind is blowing directly
towards the east, (at the back of